BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

17/03/2008

Belarus urges US to cut embassy staff amid diplomatic tension

The Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus: The Belarusian Foreign Ministry on Monday urged the United States to cut the number of its embassy personnel amid diplomatic tension.

The ministry said in a statement it had summoned U.S. Charge d'Affaires Jonathan Moore to convey a "strong advice of the Belarusian side to cut the number of the U.S. Embassy personnel."

The ministry statement did not specify what reductions it demanded.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman declined to comment.

Belarus recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations earlier this month and strongly suggested that the United States do the same.

U.S. Ambassador Karen Stewart traveled to Washington for consultations last week, although the U.S. State Department said she was expected to return to Belarus when they were over.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that its call for Stewart's departure had been prompted by the U.S. sanctions against Belarus' state-controlled oil-processing and chemicals company, Belneftekhim. The U.S. last year froze the company's assets and barred American companies from doing business with it.

Ties between the U.S. and Belarus are badly strained. U.S. officials have called President Alexander Lukashenko "Europe's last dictator" for his authoritarian rule and intolerance of dissent in the ex-Soviet republic of 10 million.

The U.S. said the Belarusian government must release all inmates the United States considers political prisoners if it wants to improve ties.

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/17/europe/EU-GEN-Belarus-US.php

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